The present invention relates to a carrying case for a chainsaw, and more particularly to such a carrying case which includes at least two pivotally openable doors and a separate scabbard.
Double wall blow molded carrying cases have been used as reusable packaging for chainsaws since at least the early 1970""s. Such cases provide a useful combination of desirable properties at modest cost. For example, chainsaws are subject to rough handling, and double wall cases offer significant protection from damage through impact. Chainsaws also tend to leak chain lubricating oils during storage, and the base of a double wall case forms a useful drip-pan to retain leaked oil within the confines of the case.
The chain itself contains multiple sharp teeth. As mounted on the bar of the chainsaw, these teeth are exposed and so are subject to dulling if bumped against any hard or abrasive object. More importantly, they are a hazard to articles with which they may come in contact, such as furniture or fingers. Blow molded double wall chainsaw cases now on the market are designed to enclose the bar and chain assembly, thereby isolating the teeth from their surroundings. These cases are generally of either two-piece or three-piece construction. The two-piece case 10A, as shown in FIG. 1, consists of a lid portion 11 and a base portion 12 joined by a hinge 13. The lid portion 11 and the base portion 12, when closed completely, enclose the saw body and attached bar and chain assembly.
The three-piece case 10B, as shown in FIG. 2, consists of double wall lid portion 14 and base portion 15 hinged together, which, when closed, enclose the saw body. The third piece is a separate scabbard 16, preferably of blow molded single wall construction. A section 17 adjacent to the open end of the scabbard 16 fits slideably into a slot 18 molded in the double wall base 15, or into opposing slots molded into both lid 14 and base 15. The sidewalls of the slot or slots 18 hold the scabbard 16 snugly in position in the closed case.
The two-piece case 10A is simple to use in that the saw, with bar assembled to it, can be positioned in the case by lowering it onto a retaining contour in the base of the case, and can be lifted out again for use. The two-piece case 10A is also an effective protector of the saw and chain. However, this type of case has several disadvantages. First, it is relatively bulky, either when shipped empty from the case molder to the saw manufacturer or, with saw enclosed, from the saw producer to a warehouse or a retail sales location. Second, most models of chainsaw are sold with one of a series of different length bars and chains. Therefore, in order to minimize the costs of case tooling and inventory, it is usually necessary to design the case for the longest bar, thereby rendering the case oversized for all others. Also, it is often more convenient for the chainsaw user to leave the case in his/her vehicle or in his/her garage, carrying the saw alone to the work site. In such situations, the impact and leakage protections of the case are relatively unimportant. However, without a scabbard, the teeth of the chain are exposed and therefore subject to being damaged or causing damage.
The three-piece case 10B shown in FIG. 2 overcomes some of these deficiencies. The outside volume of the double wall portion of the case is made smaller. Scabbards of different length can be created at low tooling cost. They take up little space in storage, and may actually be stored for shipping at least partially inside an empty case body. When the saw, with bar and chain assembled, is lifted out of a three-piece case by the end user, the scabbard tends to stay on the bar, to which it is often lightly press fitted. The saw teeth and their surroundings are thereby protected as the saw is carried without the case, and the scabbard is easily slid off the end of the bar when the work site is reached.
However, a number of problems with a three-piece case still remain. First, the display characteristics of the saw installed in a deep double wall basexe2x80x94of either a two- or three-piece casexe2x80x94are severely limited. Second, even the three-piece case is relatively bulky when empty. It can not be nested or shipped flat in sections, and overall length and width of the case is increased by draft angles, necessary to the molding process, extending vertically from the lid and base parting lines. Third, similar blow molding process limitations restrict the designs of two- or three-piece cases to irregular exterior shapes, which must generally follow the outside contours of the saw and assembled bar. Such irregular exterior shapes can not readily be built into stable rectangular groupings or pyramids for palletized shipment or for stacked display in a store. Accordingly, bulky and expensive corrugated cartons must typically be employed to surround the blow molded case and thereby to convert the exterior package shape to that of a rectangular prism. In addition, the irregular shaped case must be secured in position inside the corrugated carton by means of cardboard or plastic support brackets. The combination of case with tapered side walls, plus support brackets, plus outer corrugated box, yields a highly inefficient total package, in that exterior volume is excessive.
What is desired, therefore, is a chainsaw carrying and storage case which allows for good display of the chainsaw in the open case, which is capable of nested shipment when empty, or of being disassembled into relatively flat panels, and which has a shape, when assembled and closed, which allows for stable rectangular groupings or pyramids for palletized shipment or for stacked display in a store.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chainsaw case which allows for good display of the chainsaw in the open case.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a chainsaw case having the above characteristics and which is capable of nested shipment when empty, or of being disassembled into relatively flat panels.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a chainsaw case having the above characteristics and which has a shape, when assembled and closed, which allows for stable rectangular groupings or pyramids for palletized shipment or for stacked display in a store.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by provision of a chainsaw case for a chainsaw having a bar. The carrying case includes a base having a lower wall, a rear wall, and two end walls, one of the end walls having a slot therein. A front member is pivotally connected to the base about a pivot axis, the front member being pivotable from a closed position toward a position in which the front member is substantially coplanar with the lower wall of the base. A top member is pivotally connected to the base about a pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the front member, the top member being pivotable from a closed position toward a position in which the top member is substantially coplanar with the rear wall of the base. The case also includes a scabbard for being applied to the bar of the chainsaw, the scabbard having an end portion adapted to be received within the slot in the end wall of the base when the chainsaw, with the scabbard applied thereto, is disposed within the base.
Preferably, the front member is substantially parallel to the rear wall of the base when the front member is in the closed position, the top member is substantially parallel to the lower wall of the base when the top member is in the closed position, and the two end walls of the base are substantially parallel to each other. The rear wall, the lower wall and the two end walls of the base preferably each comprise generally flat double wall panels, and are substantially rigidly joined together to form the base.
Also, the rear wall and the lower wall are preferably connected to each other by a living hinge by which the rear wall and the lower wall may be folded from a position in which the rear wall and the lower wall are substantially coplanar to a position in which the rear wall and the lower wall are substantially perpendicular to each other.
It is also preferable that the front member is pivotally connected to the base by a hinge joining the front member to the lower wall of the base, and that the top member is pivotally connected to the base by a hinge joining the top member to the rear wall of the base. The carrying case preferably further includes at least one latch for releasably joining the front member to the top member when in the closed position.
In one embodiment, the slot is formed in one of the end walls of the base along an edge of the end wall adjacent to the front member when the front member is in the closed position, such that the end portion of the scabbard is inserted into the slot as the scabbard is moved from the front toward the rear wall of the base. In another embodiment, the slot is formed in one of the end walls of the base along an edge of the end wall adjacent to the top member when the top member is in the closed position, such that the end portion of the scabbard is inserted into the slot as the scabbard is moved downward toward the lower wall of the base. In this embodiment, a door for closing at least a portion of the slot is preferably provided. Most preferably, the door is pivotally connected to the end wall of the base in which the slot is formed.